A cell phone application called Agri-Support will allow farmers in the semiarid region of Brazil’s Northeast to send information and even geotagged photos to the National Disaster Surveillance & Early Warning System (CEMADEN) in Brasília, so that the agency can draw up an action plan in case of crop failure in the area. This access to information on crops planted, planting dates, and the spatial distribution of crops will make it possible to measure yield as well as the risk of failure for a variety of crops, while also offering farmers solutions and alternatives. The app was designed by CEMADEN in conjunction with both the National Institute of Science and Technology for Climate Change, which has its main office at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in São José dos Campos, and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), headquartered in Austria.
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